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Monday, September 19, 2011

NIM: Frothing At the Tub

Last week a friend Tweeted me a question:

"Have you ever heard of a champagne bathtub?"

A number of ideas ran through my head, none of them making me feel very comfortable about where the line of questioning was going. I mean, whatever floats your boat and al that, but I'm a professional. What you want to bathe in is of no concern to me ... let alone how you plan on filling it.

In addition to making me feel a tad uncomfortable, the champage tub question reminded me of another tub I'd seen recently, that was more latte than champagne. It's called the Furo (a Japanese term that describes returning to your natural state of being) and it's made by Inax. Using cosmetic chemicals (the website describes them as being food-safe, leading to further speculation that I'd rather not discuss) the Furo creates a layer of foam that floats on top of the water. And we're not just talking the thin layer of foam your Mr. Bubbles created when you were a kid (or not) but a layer of luxurious foam that consumes about half the tub's capacity.

The idea here is that the foam insulates the water, keeping it warmer longer, and the use of less water (in addition to being a good practice to begin with) places less stress on the body, allowing for a more relaxing soak. Another benefit of the foam is that it suppresses steam which, according to the web site, means the Furo could be installed in the living room for example (???).

I have to admit the foam looks pretty interesting, but I'm not to crazy about this trend towards bathing in food. I mean, I'd be all relaxed in the Furo and then somebody would come along with some chocolate sprinkles. Trust me, nobody wants that.